I. Des articles de la foi — Le 19e dimanche
The Corruption of Human Works
Humanity is incapable of producing works that please God before regeneration, as even outward goodness is tainted by a perverse heart.
Every human work before regeneration is damnable. M: But are all our works really so condemned that they can't earn us grace before God? C: First, all the works we do from our own nature are corrupt, and therefore cannot please God; rather, he condemns them all.1 117. M: So you're saying that until God has received us into his grace, we can do nothing but sin, just as a bad tree produces only bad fruit (Matthew 7:17). E: That's right. Even though our works may look fine on the outside, they are still bad because the heart is perverse—and that is what God looks at.2
Justification by Pure Mercy
God justifies believers through his pure mercy and the imputation of Christ's righteousness, rather than through human merit.
118. M: So you conclude that we can't approach God with our own merits to move him to do us good; on the contrary, we only provoke him against us.3 E: Exactly. And yet I say that by his pure mercy and goodness, without any regard for our works, he has made us acceptable in Jesus Christ, crediting Christ's righteousness to us and not holding our faults against us (Titus 3:5-7).✦4
Receiving Righteousness by Faith
Justification is apprehended through faith, which trusts in the promises of the Gospel to receive the righteousness offered by God.
119. Minister: How then do you say that a person is justified by faith? Elder: Because by believing and receiving the promises of the Gospel with true trust of heart, we take possession of this righteousness.5 120. M: So you understand that just as God presents it to us through the Gospel, the way to receive it is also by faith.6 E: Yes.
Read the original Latin
Toute oeuvre humaine devant la régénération est damnable 116. M : Mais toutes nos oeuvres sont-elles réellement réprouvées, qu'elles ne nous puissent mériter grâce devant Dieu? E : Premièrement, toutes celles que nous faisons de notre propre nature sont vicieuses, et par conséquent ne peuvent plaire à Dieu; mais il les condamne toutes.
117. M : Tu dis donc que devant que Dieu nous ait reçu en sa grâce, nous ne pouvons sinon pécher, comme un mauvais arbre ne produit que mauvais fruits (Matthieu 7:17). E : Il est ainsi. Car encore que nos oeuvres aient belle apparence par dehors, si sont-elles mauvaises, puisque le coeur est pervers, lequel Dieu regarde.
118. M : Par cela tu conclus que nous ne pouvons prévenir Dieu par nos mérites pour l'induire à nous bien faire, mais au contraire ne faisons que l'irriter contre nous. E : Voire. Et pourtant je dis que par sa pure miséricorde et bonté, sans aucune considération de nos oeuvres, il nous a agréables en Jésus-Christ, nous imputant la justice d'icelui et ne nous imputant point nos fautes (Tite 3:5-7).
119. M : Comment donc dis-tu que l'homme est justifié par foi? E : Parce qu'en croyant et recevant en vraie fiance de coeur les promesses de l'Évangile, nous entrons en possession de cette justice.
120. M : Tu entends que, comme Dieu nous la présente par l'Évangile, aussi le moyen de la recevoir c'est par foi. E : Oui.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Titus.3.5-Titus.3.7 — not by works of righteousness that we ourselves had done, but according to his mercy he saved us, through the washing of renewal and rebirth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, Titus.3.6 — which he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, Titus.3.7 — so that, having been justified by that one's grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Notes
- 1 ↩French «vicieuses» is moral corruption, not mere social vice; rendered «corrupt» to keep the theological force without sounding merely behavioral.
- 2 ↩Archaic French 'si sont-elles' is adversative ('still/yet'), not conditional 'if'.
- 3 ↩prévenir Dieu par nos mérites: theological sense of anticipating/forestalling God by prior merits, not modern 'prevent' as stop.
- 4 ↩d'icelui: archaic demonstrative referring to Jesus Christ; rendered as 'Christ's righteousness'.
- 5 ↩Older French fiance here means fiducia—trust/confidence—not betrothal. Rendered 'trust' to keep the Reformation sense of heartfelt reliance on the Gospel promises.
- 6 ↩la refers to the righteousness (justice) of the preceding exchange: God presents that righteousness by the Gospel, and faith is the means of receiving it.
Catechism of the Church of Geneva (Le catéchisme de l'Église de Genève) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit